Here's What You Need to Know: The F-94 aircraft saw service with the Air Force until 1958 and the Air National Guard until 1959.

After the Second World War, the newly created United States Air Force looked to replace its aging F-61 Black Widow and North American F-82 Twin Mustang with a new plane – one designed specifically to counter the threat of Soviet bombers, notably the Tupolev Tu-4.  

Enter the Lockheed F-94 Starfire. 

It was developed from the T-33 Shooting Star and the F-94 became the first American all-weather jet interceptor as well as the first U.S. production jet to have an afterburner. In the 1950s it operated primarily in the defense of the United States against soviet bomber attacks and flew with both the USAF and Air National Guard units.  

At the start of the Korean War, the Air Force was still relying on the F-82 Twin Mustang, which proved to be a reliable all-weather day/night fighter for its time. However, as the jet age dawned the F-82 was showing its age and in came the F-94.  

It wasn't exactly a new aircraft from the ground up. While it did have a redesigned fuselage to accommodate a second cockpit for an observer, the F-94 used the F-80/T-33 tail, wing, and landing gear. In addition, the nose area was lengthened to accommodate guns, radar, and automatic fire control systems. The nose radar enabled the observer in the rear seat to locate enemy aircraft at night and in poor weather conditions. 

In 1951 the F-94 was flown in defense of Japanese air space and a year later began to fly night bomber escort and air defense missions from bases in South Korea during the war.  

The F-94 made its first flight in March 1948 and Lockheed produced a total of 853 F-94s, of which 110 were the F-94As. These were armed with four .50 caliber machine guns mounted in the fuselage with the muzzles exiting just behind the radome. The aircraft featured two 165-gallon drop tanks – another design holdover from the F-80 and T-33, which could be carried beneath the wingtips. Those could also be replaced with 1,000-pound bombs, which gave the aircraft a secondary fighter bomber role. 

The F-94 was powered by an Allison J33 engine, which provided 6,000 pounds of thrust with the afterburner, and it had a top speed of 630mph and a range of 930 miles, with a ceiling of 42,750 feet.  

The aircraft was updated as the F-94B, which featured a roomier cockpit and enhanced canopy. The older F-94As were upgraded with the new canopy, while also receiving an armament upgrade that added two additional .50 caliber machine guns underwing.  

A final extensive upgrade, the F-94C was originally designed F-97 until it was determined to treat it as a variant of the Starfire rather than a new aircraft. Lockheed funded the development after the Air Force initially expressed little interest. These modifications included a more powerful engine along with a much bigger radar system in the nose. Eventually, some 387 of this final modification entered service and were used in the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense system in the 1950s. 

However, by the end of the decade, it was clear that the first generation fighter was past its prime. The F-94 aircraft remained in service with the Air Force until 1958 and the Air National Guard until 1959.   

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.

This article first appeared in June 2020.

Image: Wikimedia Commons